Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 87609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87609 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 350(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
“Maybe you could just watch your favorite couple of episodes.”
“That would work.”
“What else have you been doing?”
“Not much.” I stare out at the ocean and try to convince myself that everything is fine.
“What are you frowning about?” he asks. “What’s wrong now?”
“I looked you up online, and I feel a little weird about it.”
“Did you?” he asks in an unhappy tone of voice. “Weird how?”
“Guilty, I guess.”
His lips thin, and he shoots me a look out of the corner of his eye. “You could have just not told me.”
“I don’t want to lie to you. It doesn’t feel like a good time for me to be adding to my karmic debt. But I did want to know more about you since we’re spending time together, and you’re touchy about being asked anything. Which is, of course, your right.” I swallow. “That excuse sounded more plausible in my head.”
Nothing from him.
“I should point out that I already knew most of it due to living on the same planet as you for the past twenty-nine years. And wanting to know more about the person you’re spending time with isn’t exactly nefarious. Though I can also see how you might feel it’s ever so slightly an invasion of your privacy since you’re sensitive about that sort of thing.”
His jaw is set in stone. It would take a chisel to move the thing. “I just wish you hadn’t done that, Lilah.”
“But don’t you think maybe you’re being a little overly sensitive?”
“Are you deliberately trying to start a fight with me?”
“No. Just thinking things through.”
His frown turns contemplative, but he says no more.
The cell attached to the dashboard vibrates with an incoming call, and Helena flashes on the screen. He dismisses the call, and a moment later, the cell starts vibrating once again. He punches the button with his finger and says, “I’m about to walk into a meeting.”
“No, you’re not,” says a woman with an upper-crust English accent. “You’re driving on the highway a few minutes from home.”
“Mother—”
“Carlos just passed you. He’s heading into Beverly Hills to visit his brother. He texted to tell me you were on your way.”
“He did, did he?” asks Alistair in a defeated tone.
“I’ll see you and your blonde friend shortly. I’m very excited. Such a wonderful surprise, darling!”
His previous unhappiness has been doubled at least. It’s obvious in the stark line of his jaw. “I’m sorry. We’re going to have to go.”
“Of course,” I say quickly. “Does she really think you were on your way to visit, or was she just pretending so she could guilt-trip you?”
“With my mother, you never know.”
He doesn’t offer any further explanation. Just slows the car and turns at the next exit, taking us toward the beach. Lots of big, impressive homes. I doubt I can even afford to breathe the air around here. His mother was right—we were indeed only minutes from her place. Alistair’s grip on the wheel tightens with each mile while I feel smaller and more insignificant. Facing down this sort of wealth is intimidating. Multimillion-dollar properties and cars that cost more than all my worldly possessions. It just reinforces how he and I have nothing in common. Not really. Our budding friendship was probably bound to crash and burn.
We pull up outside a tall iron fence and wait for it to slowly open. A hedge guards the property from prying eyes. Spiky cabbage palmettos and olive trees with branches twisted from the harsh coastal winds line the driveway. We pass two smaller buildings and pull up behind a sprawling midcentury modern house. A five-car garage sits to the side. I think this is what they call a compound.
And the man beside me continues to be one big ball of tension. He takes off his Ray-Bans and says, “I’ll try to keep it brief. Then we can get back to our plans.”
“Sure.”
A pale woman wearing a voluminous pastel dress with her gray-tinged dark hair piled messily on top of her head emerges from the house. She is nothing less than spectacular. “Darling!” she calls.
“Hello, Mother,” Alistair says, climbing out of the car with the air of someone submitting to some sort of horrible fate.
“It’s so good to see you.” She throws her arms around him and squeezes him tight. “My beautiful little baby boy.”
Meanwhile, his expression is pure stoicism. “Brave words from someone who doesn’t even reach my chin.”
“Introduce me to your friend.”
“This is Lilah” is all he says.
I climb out of the car and give her my best non-awkward smile. “Hello, Lady Helena.”
“She’s nervous, darling. Isn’t that sweet?”
“Mmm” is all he says.
“It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.”
He scoffs. “A month at most.”
“Try three, my darling child. You’re always so busy.” She beams up at him. “But you’re here now and you’ve brought a friend. You never introduce your friends to me. Not since... Well, we won’t talk about that. But Lilah must be special indeed.”